November 4, 2025
Newsletter link: https://mailchi.mp/869e1212d725/this-week-in-honors
I leave the office for half a day, and a certain chicken man exploded Christmas. Everywhere. I'm aghast and entertained in equal measure. Swing by the offices to really experience it for yourself!
I'm trying a new thing. To let folks know that there is a suitable component for things, I've added their logo shield to that announcement. Click it for a direct link to the activity.
Halloween in the Rearview
Our first Pumpkin Decorating Contest went fabulously well! Prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place as determined through Instagram voting. Special mentions, special *delicious* mention, and all participants, please swing by the office to pick up your prizes!
- 1st: Dominic Loftus for Pumpk-Ian
- 2nd: Noelle Richey for Anxiety Pumpkin
- 3rd: Kylie Morales for tiny ghosts and cats
- Special Delicious Mention: Marti Munie for treats that were as tasty as they were visually astounding.
- Special Mention: Dominic Loftus for the Francis pumpkin
- Special Mention: Griffin Odom for best Halloween spirit pumpkin.
All of your fantastic entries are displayed on our Instagram!
If you would like to pick up your pumpkin to take home, please do so!
We've Moved!
The new John Martinson Honors Suite construction is finished, and the second Great Move has begun! That means everything is going to look like a disaster area for a little bit, but we'll get settled pretty quickly. No need to call FEMA.
Having the new offices is going to change how we do things, specifically no more going straight to the office of your advisor, but overall the experience is only going to get better. Always check in at the front desk! And keep an eye on your newsletters for even more changes coming to improve your honors experience.
NCHC San Diego 2025
Several of our faculty, staff, and students are attending the 2025 National Collegiate Honors Council conference in San Diego this week. Many are presenting, and some are experiencing it for the first time. This is a fun and info-packed time for us to explore more deeply what an honors education truly means and how to bring you the best experience possible. And if you're interested in travel and expanding your horizons, we'll be doing it next year as well!
~V
Life of the Mind
If I had to describe Life of the Mind from a layman's perspective, it's a series of events (speakers, shark tanks, fun competitions, and presentations) to enrich your honors life. The organizer is Zach Riebeling, one of our most fabulous faculty members, and I'm always excited to hear what he's got in store for us. Keep an eye out for Spring activities as well!
10 Films Every Honors Student Should Watch: Faculty Face-Off
10 films, 10 honors profs, 5 minutes each to convince a panel of honors students that their film is essential viewing, and all of it in an irreverent competition where you get to give the grade. Door prizes and excellent snacks! Wednesday, November 12 at 6pm in ADW 1104. (Add to calendar) 
AI, Automated Futures, and the Technopolitics of Education in the Algorithmic Age
Which is simultaneously daunting and intriguing to me. Actually, that's kind of how I feel about AI in general. We have AI; we can't go back. Explore how AI is not just automating work, but influencing the way we think, learn, and live. Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30pm in ADW 1104. (Add to calendar)
This Week in Honors
We're pretty light on the This Week this week.
De-Stress Thursday will be video games!
Service Announcements
- The Ethics Bowl approaches! The actual event is January 31, 2026, but there will be many service opportunities in preparation as well: An orientation to what Ethics Bowl is, supporting practices with each of the four schools participating this round, and a dry run training session to get familiar with some of the technology that supports match-running and score-keeping. Sound interesting? For more information, contact Tori Walters.
- Reminder: Service Hours should now be reported through Suitable for all honors students.
- Go to the Suitable app or website.
- Tap the three-lines icon, bottom right or at the website, check the left-side menu for "Forms"
- Go to "Forms"
- Look for the service hours form, and select.
- Follow the directions to submit.
- Once a month, we offer a chance to earn suitable points by submitting service hours through the "Activities" section. It's titled "[Month] Service Hours" and it will take you to the same form you use for regular service submissions, just by way of a points activity. For questions, please contact vhovers@siue.edu.
Neat Stuff
Vance Hays, one of our students, has created the Affirmative Inter-Faith Alliance (AIFA), a student-led org committed to fostering an inclusive and respectful space for spiritual exploration, personal development, dialogue, and collaboration across all religious and spiritual identities. Which is a mouthful. But if you want to learn about other faiths, explore your own in a non-judgmental space, or would like to collaborate with your own student org, contact them at aifasiue@outlook.com or follow on IG @aifa.siue.
Check out the flyer for more info.
